Stock Photo - Men hold a Soviet era red flag in front of the parliament building after the end of the referendum in Simferopol in Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine, 17 March 2014. More than 95 per cent of Crimeans voted for the Ukrainian region's accession to Russia in a controversial referendum on 16 March, according to preliminary results. The referendum was widely condemned by Western governments, who referred to it as 'illegal'. The European Union and the US threatened sanctions against Russia, which they accuse of invading and annexing the Ukrainian territory. Photo: HANNIBAL/dpa | usage worldwide. - Simferopol/Ukraine